Is it true that an average of 50 people are infected every hour in Iran?

According to IRNA report on the 18th, Iranian Ministry of Health spokesman Jahanpour said that the epidemic situation in Iran is very serious now, medical supplies are in short supply, and some people refuse to cooperate, resulting in an average of 50 people being infected with the virus every hour in Iran. He called on the public to follow the advice of the Ministry of Health and avoid going out as much as possible. In addition, some provinces in Iran have begun to use the primary health care system to inquire about people's health status by phone. If there are suspected patients, they will be isolated and treated. Currently, the number of infections and deaths has declined in severely affected areas such as Qom and Gilan provinces.

Iranian Foreign Minister Zarif delivered a New Year's speech on Twitter on the 18th, saying that the new coronavirus has made the cruel sanctions imposed by the United States on Iran clear. He called on the international community to support Iran in its fight against the epidemic and lift the unfair sanctions imposed by the United States on Iran. Russia's Independent newspaper reported on the 19th that the United States is trying to use the COVID-19 pandemic in Iran for its own benefit.

On the 19th, the U.S. Treasury Department announced sanctions on five companies related to the National Iranian Oil Company. The day before, U.S. Secretary of State Pompeo proposed that the United States would provide anti-epidemic assistance to the Iranian government, but on the condition that American citizens detained in Iran must be released.

The Iranian Embassy in Moscow said on the 18th: "The United States has imposed sanctions on Iran to prevent the supply of necessary medical equipment to patients infected with the new coronavirus. Such actions are no longer a legal or economic issue." Iranian President Rouhani said on the 18th that Tehran's revenge on Washington for the death of Soleimani, a senior general of the Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, is not over yet.

As of noon local time on the 19th, Iran had 1,046 new confirmed cases of COVID-19 in the past 24 hours, with a total of 18,407 confirmed cases, 149 new deaths and a total death toll of 1,284.